Read academic texts
Academic reading can sometimes be difficult to get started with, especially if the academic content is not easily accessible. Good reading strategies can help you gain an overview, understand the texts better, and remember the most important information.
Key Points
- Effective academic reading requires you to consciously choose a strategy and purpose for your reading.
- Reading speed can be improved through practice but should always be adapted to the type of text and your purpose for reading.
- The most important thing is to gain an overview and prioritise the essential material.
- Academic reading becomes more manageable and effective when divided into pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading.
- Different types of academic texts place different demands on how and how thoroughly they should be read.
Table of contents
Academic reading
You may recognise the feeling of spending a long time reading texts for your studies and finding it difficult to keep track of all the parts and messages within a text. Perhaps you are approaching your academic reading in the wrong way?
When reading for academic purposes, it is always important to remember that different types of texts require different reading approaches.
Reading for your studies is significantly different from reading a crime novel or a newspaper article. In those cases, you typically read from beginning to end to absorb everything. However, when it comes to academic texts, it is often necessary to prioritise the reading material. You can improve your academic reading if you learn to vary your reading approach depending on the text in front of you. To help with this, it is a good idea to think about reading in terms of pre-reading, during-reading, and post-reading.
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Pre-reading
It is always a good idea to familiarise yourself with a text before you begin reading it thoroughly. By carrying out what is known as pre-reading, you form an overall impression of the text while also reflecting on your purpose for reading it.
If you begin reading a text without pre-reading it and without knowing your purpose, you may end up reading simply for the sake of reading, and you can quickly lose both your overview and motivation.
A simple way to pre-read is to look at the front cover, back cover, table of contents, illustrations, headings, graphics, images, and similar elements. Looking at these activates your prior knowledge and makes it easier to assess the relevance of the text to your needs. In addition, pre-reading helps you assess the difficulty level of the text and, consequently, determine which reading method is best to use.
You can watch this video with English subtitles by clicking the CC button.
During reading
Not all texts in your studies need to be read with the same level of attention. Therefore, it is important that you can switch between different reading approaches. After pre-reading, it is easier to determine what type of text you are dealing with and which reading method is most appropriate. For example, should the text be read normally, intensively, or is it sufficient to skim it?
Skimming is particularly useful when you need to gain an overview of a large subject area or locate specific information in a text. A particularly effective strategy when skimming is to focus on the introduction and conclusion. These sections often contain the essence of the text's content and key points.
If the text is highly complex, on the other hand, intensive reading may be necessary so that you absorb all details and explanations. Remember that you can easily switch reading methods within the same text.
You can watch this video with English subtitles by clicking the CC button.
After reading
It is always a good idea to spend a few minutes after reading reflecting on what you have read. Think about what you have learned and understood. Ask yourself whether you understood the text’s overall messages and key concepts. If not, it may be a good idea to read the text again. It is important to actively seek answers to anything you are uncertain about, for example, through your study group or your lecturer.
If the text is more challenging and contains many important concepts and keywords, you may wish to write a short summary or create a mind map afterwards. This helps ensure that the material stays with you more effectively.
You can watch this video with English subtitles by clicking the CC button.
Speed reading
If you read too slowly, it can affect your understanding because you may easily lose both your overview and your motivation.
Fortunately, increasing your reading speed is something that can be practised. However, it requires dedication and setting aside time to practise and read daily. It can be a good idea to train yourself to read larger sections of text at a time rather than focusing on individual words. Also try to avoid jumping back in the text and trust that you have understood the context. Finally, try to silence the inner voice that reads along in your head, although this can be difficult.
Remember, however, that not all texts are suitable for speed reading, and it may be a good idea to practise speed reading in intervals using easier texts.
You can watch this video with English subtitles by clicking the CC button.
